Tempe, AZ Outdoor Lighting: Dark Sky Rules (2026)

Tempe's dark-sky rules sit in Chapter 8 (Lighting) of Part 4 of the Zoning and Development Code. Section 4-801 states the purpose: lighting that supports way-finding and crime prevention while minimizing glare onto adjoining properties and light pollution into the nighttime sky. The chapter applies to lighting for uses on-site. Streetlights in the public right-of-way fall outside it and follow the City of Tempe Public Works Department Standard Details.

The sky-protection standard is a cap plus a fixture test. Section 4-803(B) caps on-site illumination at forty (40) foot-candles measured at the surface, calculated with a light loss factor of 0.68 for metal halide and 0.72 for high pressure sodium. Section 4-803(C)(5) then sorts fixtures by how much light escapes upward. A full cutoff fixture, one that directs all light below a horizontal plane through the bottom of the fixture and has no lens dropping below it, can use any illumination source up to the 40 foot-candle ceiling. A fixture with a lens or diffuser visible above the horizontal plane is non-cutoff. If that lens is white or opal glass it is filtered and limited to 1,700 lumens. If it is clear or prismatic glass it is non-filtered and limited to 600 lumens.

Neighbors get separate protection. Under (C)(5)(f), light from the proposed fixtures cannot exceed one-half (0.5) foot-candle at a property line next to a single-family district, and lighting next to a residential use cannot spill onto that use. Freestanding fixtures are height-limited to 18 feet in or within 50 feet of a residential district, 25 feet in the next 50 to 150 feet, and 30 feet in all other locations, measured from the top of the fixture to the surface at the base of its support. Section 4-804 prohibits installing mercury vapor fixtures.

The process runs through permits. All exterior lighting installations need the approval of the Community Development Director or designee before installation, and anyone applying for a building, electrical or sign permit must submit evidence of compliance. Section 4-802 requires a photometric plan whose contents follow Appendix E. Standards in the RCC district and all MU districts are set through Development Plan Review under Section 6-306. Swapping in different fixtures or lamps after a permit is issued requires the Director's approval of the change.

Section 4-805 carves out exemptions. Lighting for single-family homes and accessory buildings is exempt if no measurable light spills onto adjacent property. Ball fields, golf courses and similar sporting venues are exempt from the height and shielding rules and can exceed 40 foot-candles until 11:00 p.m. Autoplex automobile dealerships get up to 80 foot-candles at display areas until 11:00 pm.